


in three-quarter time

by Murf1307



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Dancing, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-17
Updated: 2013-11-17
Packaged: 2018-01-01 21:56:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1049025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Murf1307/pseuds/Murf1307
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marius and Cosette are getting married.  Grantaire teaches Enjolras to dance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	in three-quarter time

**Author's Note:**

> written for [this](http://gtaire.tumblr.com/post/54520785430/grantaire-teaching-a-very-flustered-enjolras-how) tumblr prompt.

The fact that Grantaire knows how to dance ballroom really shouldn’t be as charming as it is.

Especially considering Marius and Cosette are getting married in a month and Enjolras has approximately seven left feet in comparison to everyone else, and there’s going to be a dance with the entire wedding party during the reception.

Everyone else has paired off, and it leaves Grantaire lounging and smirking against the old stereo, like he’s just waiting for Enjolras to give in.

"Could you teach me?" he asks, finally, a little put out.

Grantaire laughs.  ”You only needed to ask, you know.”

Enjolras sighs and steps toward him.  ”Well, that was me asking.  So teach.”

"Bossy," Grantaire says, but he closes the distance between them and extends a hand.  The music is playing quietly, and Grantaire’s not even dancing yet but Enjolras can tell by the nearly unnoticeable sway in Grantaire’s movements that he knows exactly what to do, and it’s incredibly —  _frustrating_.  That’s it.

Frustrating.

Enjolras takes Grantaire’s hand.  ”I expect you to be good at this,” he grumbles.

Grantaire laughs, but something dulls in his eyes and Enjolras immediately regrets saying it.  ”I think you’re find me a decent teacher, fo the basics, anyway.  I wouldn’t be going on  _Dancing with the Stars_  anytime soon.”

"I’m not expecting perfection," Enjolras says tightly, in part because the anticipation is killing him.  "I just don’t want to make a fool of myself."

"You couldn’t make a fool of yourself if you danced drunk and naked in the fountain outside Cosette’s dad’s house," Grantaire teases, smiling, and settles Enjolras’s free hand on his shoulder before laying a hand on his waist.  The touches are light, gentle.  

Enjolras hopes that Grantaire can’t feel the way his pulse is starting to race.

"Now, what you should do is follow my feet.  I’ll lead, and then we’ll switch."  Grantaire takes a step back with his left foot, and Enjolras follows with his right.

The basic box step comes fairly easily, even if Enjolras is staring down at their feet because he is  _too close_  to Grantaire to otherwise not freak out.

"There you are, that’s the first step," Grantaire says, and lets go of his waist to tip his chin up.  "But you probably shouldn’t spend the whole dance staring at your feet.  You’re tense, and it’s clear that you’re uncomfortable with what’s going on."

Enjolras swallows.  ”Oh.  I didn’t realize I was.”

He tries to relax a little, and Grantaire nods.  ”I mean, I know you would probably prefer dancing with somebody else, but…”  He shakes his head.  ”Doesn’t matter.”

There’d been something upset in his voice.

"No — you’re — you’re very good," Enjolras says, maybe a little more emphatically than he meant to.  "I’ve just never done this before."

Grantaire grins.  ”It’s all right.”

"You’re just making fun of me in your head this whole time," Enjolras mutters, but he feels much less uncomfortable.

This is really how they interact when they’re fighting, and it’s disconcerting, because Enjolras is never quite sure how to respond to the gentle teasing.  But here it’s comforting, because it’s familiar.

"Seeing you out of your element is a rare and important occasion," Grantaire says, a mock-grave tone of voice.  "I won’t apologize for enjoying it."

"That’s unkind," Enjolras mutters, and Grantaire laughs again.

Enjolras can’t keep the little smile off his face, and he tilts his head down to try and hide it.  He loves the way Grantaire laughs in moments like this, and more than anything, he likes being the reason for the laughter.

Grantaire’s hand comes up again to tip his chin up.  ”I just said don’t do that,” he says, and he looks fondly exasperated.

"I know, I know," Enjolras says.  "Now what?"

Grantaire leads him through several more complicated steps.  Enjolras gets tangled up in his own feet a few times, and Grantaire laughs at him, and it’s  _perfect._   Grantaire’s hands are warm, and he’s smiling and laughing and guiding Enjolras through it gently, even though Enjolras is  _definitely_  making a complete fool of himself.

Neither of them seems to notice that everyone else in the room has stopped, probably because nobody’s turned off the stereo.

They just keep dancing, and Enjolras keeps failing, and Grantaire is laughing.  It’s wonderful, and Enjolras doesn’t want it ever to end — he just wants to stay here for as long as is possible.

"Hey," someone says — Courfeyrac, actually, damn him — "You guys finished yet?  We were thinking about a group dinner."

Enjolras trips in his surprise and falls into Grantaire’s chest.

Grantaire’s arm slides around his waist and keeps him on his feet, but now they’re pressed up against each other, faces maybe an inch apart.  Enjolras face goes bright red and his pulse goes haywire, because this, this was not in the plan.

"Um," he manages.  "Hello."

Grantaire grins.  ”You are  _ridiculous_ ,” he says, and helps Enjolras stand up straight.  He’s blushing, too, though, and trying to ignore the fact that Courfeyrac is now making a noise like a teakettle.

"Do you mind?" Enjolras says, the words running together a little, falling over themselves, and his hands tighten a little on Grantaire’s hand and shoulder, trying to get across that he’s not asking for Grantaire to let go of him.

"No, I don’t believe I do," Grantaire says, his smile widening and softening.

 _Oh_.

 _Oh,_  because Grantaire is changing the way he’s holding Enjolras’s hand, and now he’s pulling Enjolras’s hand to his lips and kissing it.

Enjolras’s knees go weak and he tips back over into Grantaire.

This time, though, there’s no remaining inch.  They kiss, and Grantaire seems a little surprised at first, but, nonetheless, this kiss is —

It’s absolutely perfect.


End file.
